Mature Woman looking at Phone

The journey to menopause brings many changes that can affect a woman’s physical and mental well-being. The Midlife Health Clinic at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital’s new Virtual Care Center is helping women throughout Pennsylvania navigate their path back to “feeling like themselves” again.

Brain fog. Mood swings. Hot flashes. Declining libido and vaginal dryness. These are just some of the many symptoms women experience during perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause.

“Even today, midlife changes remain a very misunderstood and often off-limits topic,” says Helana Pietragallo, MD, NCMP, of UPMC Magee-Womens Midlife Health Center. “As a result, women often deal with profound physical and emotional changes for years without the right help.”

The new UPMC Magee-Womens Virtual Care Center offers expert telemedicine support to women across Pennsylvania. Women with perimenopause or menopause concerns can arrange a convenient video visit through its Midlife Health Clinic.

“Many women come to us saying, ‘I just don’t feel like myself anymore.’ Our goal is to help them rediscover the person they used to be and return to the life they want to live,” says Dr. Pietragallo. “Midlife changes can last years and should be a joyful period in a woman’s lifetime — not a life sentence.”

The clinic’s doctors are credentialed through the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) as NAMS-certified menopause practitioners. Its staff includes a psychiatrist specializing in midlife care.

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What to Expect During a Midlife Health Video Visit

Magee’s virtual Midlife Health Clinic treats women from 35 to 90 years of age. While menopause typically begins around age 50, perimenopause symptoms can begin in a woman’s early 40s. Factors like surgery for endometriosis or ovarian cancer, and family genetics also can cause a woman to undergo early onset menopause.

“By helping women identify and prepare for these changes, we can help them successfully navigate — and even prevent or lessen — their symptoms,” says Dr. Pietragallo. “Our clinic’s virtual visits can especially be helpful to women having hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, or brain fog.”

Virtual consultations are available for:

  • Perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms
  • Surgical or premature menopausal symptoms
  • Primary ovarian insufficiency (when ovaries no longer function before age 40)
  • Decreased libido
  • Vaginal dryness
  • Sexual dysfunction

“Women often find that a virtual consultation can address a problem that’s been troubling them for quite some time,” says Dr. Pietragallo. “It’s a resource that can make a real difference in their midlife health experience.”

About the UPMC Magee-Womens Virtual Care Center

The new UPMC Magee-Womens Virtual Care Center combines Magee’s deep expertise in telemedicine with its nationally ranked services in advanced specialty care for women.

The center’s services currently are limited to Pennsylvania residents. As with any specialty care service, the video visit is billed to a patient’s insurance provider. A copay may be required.

In addition to midlife health, virtual specialty care appointments can be scheduled online for:

To participate in a UPMC Magee-Womens Virtual Care Center visit, patients must download the MyUPMC application on their smart phone or tablet, and have a scheduled video appointment.

For more information, go to UPMCMagee.com/VirtualCare.

About UPMC Magee-Womens

Built upon our flagship, UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh, and its century-plus history of providing high-quality medical care for people at all stages of life, UPMC Magee-Womens is nationally renowned for its outstanding care for women and their families.

Our Magee-Womens network – from women’s imaging centers and specialty care to outpatient and hospital-based services – provides care throughout Pennsylvania, so the help you need is always close to home. More than 25,000 babies are born at our network hospitals each year, with 10,000 of those babies born at UPMC Magee in Pittsburgh, home to one of the largest NICUs in the country. The Department of Health and Human Services recognizes Magee in Pittsburgh as a National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health; U.S. News & World Report ranks Magee nationally in gynecology. The Magee-Womens Research Institute was the first and is the largest research institute in the U.S. devoted exclusively to women’s health and reproductive biology, with locations in Pittsburgh and Erie.